Temple Terrace receives two planning awards

TEMPLE TERRACE — The city won two plaques last week at a planning and design awards banquet presented by the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission.

The agency handed out 15 awards in recognition of sound planning and good design in Hillsborough County at the 31st Annual Planning & Design Awards. The event was held at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa Oct. 17.

The Temple Terrace Community Development Department received the Executive Director’s Award for creating a citywide golf cart program. Enacted last year, the program allows residents to operate registered golf carts on city streets.

The golf cart program also contributes to the city’s goal to create a network of alternative modes of transportation and decrease the dependence on cars and trucks, project managers said in a news release.

“It is an honor and privilege to be the recipient of the Executive Director’s Award,” Temple Terrace Community Development Director Charles Stephenson said. “Such recognition emphasizes the efforts of the city’s commitment to being a truly multimodal community.”

The community development department also shared an award of merit with the Temple Terrace Code Compliance Department and Parks & Recreation Division for the creation of an Adopt-A-Tree program.

The tree project is held in conjunction with the city’s compliance department’s monthly neighborhood sweeps. Volunteer groups help plant trees in residents’ yards, at no cost to homeowners, to help increase the city’s tree population.

“We are honored by the planning commission’s recognition of our tree-planting efforts,” said Code Compliance Director Joe Gross, who spearheaded the program with Parks Planner Dana Carver.

The planning commission invited individuals and agencies, including architects, builders, developers, residents, community groups and local governments to submit examples of sound planning and good design throughout the county.

More than 200 people attended the awards banquet hosted by Tampa Electric Co.

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